The City of Cape Town wants to remind the public to respect our coastal wildlife, and to avoid any interaction as far as possible. This request follows after an incident on the False Bay coast on Monday, 6 November 2023, where swimmers approached a Southern Right Whale and her calf.
The City received numerous calls from concerned residents on Monday morning, 6 November 2023, who reported that three people had swum out from the Glencairn tidal pool to a Southern Right Whale and her calf.
One such complaint included a photograph showing one of the swimmers within just a few metres of the whale and her calf. This is illegal in terms of both the Threatened or Protected Species Regulations (TOPS), as well as the City’s Coastal By-law. The regulations and by-law prohibit any person or boat to be within 300m of a whale.
Following this incident, and the recent case at Strand which resulted in the death of a seal, the City would like to re-iterate its call to all residents and visitors to please respect our coastal wildlife.
‘The tourist season is around the corner. We are excited to welcome all to our wonderful city, but I want to ask visitors and residents to please explore our coast and protected areas in a responsible manner, and to abide by our by-laws. Wildlife is wild, and should be appreciated from a respectful distance at all times,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The public is reminded that:
- It is your responsibility to keep a safe and legal distance away from all coastal wildlife. This includes, among others, seals, otters, seabirds, whales and all other marine mammals
- It is your responsibility to make sure that your dog remains under your control at all times and is kept well away from all coastal wildlife
- Abide by signage that stipulates that dogs should be on a lead
- It is illegal to feed, touch, approach or harass coastal wildlife
- Those found transgressing the law along the coastline may be prosecuted
Please report all incidents to the City at 021 480 7700.
Finally, all open water swimmers are reminded that vessels, boats and kayaks cannot see you when you are swimming. In the interest of the safety of all recreational users, open water swimmers should use a surface buoy or beacon when swimming off our coastline.
